Need some advice

A friend was asking me recently about home improvements. They wanted to know what to look for in a contractor. This friend needs a roof and siding replaced.

I offered to write to you all and ask questions, hoping some of you could offer some good advice. This will be the first time this friend is having some work done on their home, so they want to be sure they don’t get ripped off or get someone who takes the money and runs. I sat down and wrote out some questions that I thought were valid, and maybe you can add more or answer the ones I have here.

How does he know they have insurance and it is valid? – Anyone can ‘say’ they have insurance, but how does he know if they really do? Is it OK to call their insurance company and ask if it is still in good standing? Is there a privacy act that will not allow the insurance company to disclose information to someone other than the policy holder?

References – Most say they will provide references, but how does he know if they are legit? The reason I ask this is because if someone called me asking about someone’s work, I might think it’s a scam and not talk to them. It’s kinda weird, ya know? I can see how it would be very easy to make up a list of names and say you did work for them.

Red flags – What should pop up a red flag? Things that will appear, but not be kosher?

Maintenance/Warranty – What if there is a problem down the road? How will he know that they will come back and take care of it?

7 Comments:

well, these are some thoughtful questions.
1. Let’s start with the BBB. Have at least three business in mind, call or stop by the BBB and see what they have on them. The BBB or your local Chamber of Commerce are still great entities with their ears close to the ground for scuttle butt.
2. Ask to see their certificate of insurance. Yes, the insurance company issues them a certificate that’s dated. You can call them to be sure the insurance hasn’t been dropped.
3. References. Reputable companies want to be sure the names they give for reference will talk to callers. The people have been asked if they would participate in the reference. If the company is legit, the customers whose names and numbers have been used, have given permission for them to pass around their number. Rest assured, unless you’ve reached them at a bad time, they WILL talk to you.
4. Red Flags. When they come out to talk to you, give estimates, and sign a contract…make sure YOUR COMFORTABLE with everything they are saying to you. If any of your questions are “glossed over” then get them out the door right now. If your worries are poo-poo-ed and made light of…without real effort to assure you of the worry… get rid of em. Go visit their offices too. They should have an office or a storage facility they work out of. If it looks like a place where they can pack up their stuff and disappear overnight, run like hell.

I was a sub-contractor in the Drywall industry for 10 years. I worked “gypsy”. But I still had to have the insurance and I still had to be able to comfort the home owner with all his questions and my abilities.

I was going to write I big long post on this but @chesshirecat hit it on the head. I would say that #2 is the most important! I’m an insurance agent and I had a client’s house burn down last year because when a contractor working on the roof through a cigarette next to the house. He didn’t have insurance so the homeowner had to put the claim in on their own policy which NOT what you want.

# 3 is also super important if they can’t provide legit references move on…

I don’t know the answers to the questions above other than the insurance company should give you validity info but @chesshirecat sounds like good answers.

I can also say to ask around! People get work done all the time and they’re more than willing to tell you if someone was worth it or not. I can tell you that the guy who does stuff on my apartment now is pretty good, but he works elsewhere and keeps odd hours for work.